Karl Lennart Oesch

Karl Lennart Oesch (8 August 1892-28 March 1978) was a Lieutenant-General in Finland during the Finnish Civil War, Winter War, and World War II.

Biography
Karl Lennart Oesch was born on 8 August 1892 in Pyhajarvi, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire. He attended the University of Helsinki from 1911 to 1915, and in 1915 he joined the Royal Prussian 27th Jaeger Battalion in World War I. Upon returning home, he commanded an infantry battalion of the Finnish Army during the Finnish Civil War, and he rose in the ranks in the Interwar Years. On 30 November 1939 he was promoted to Chief of the General Staff under Carl Mannerheim, fighting against the Soviet Union in the Winter War. Oesch's motley and weary force of Finnish troops inflicted heavy losses against the Soviets, and during the Continuation War he led an army corps against the Russians. In 1944, he defended Vyborg from the Soviets in the Vyborg-Petrozadovsk Offensive, and he was given command of Finnish forces in Karelia. With three corps, he repeatedly defeated the Soviets, including at the Battle of Tali-Ihantala. In October 1944, he gave up his command after Finland made peace with Russia, and he died in 1978.